1. Field
Embodiments of the invention are related to warehouse management. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to identification of a suitable storage bin in connection with a stock movement in a storage facility.
2. Background
In warehouse management, it is required to identify a destination storage location or bin for stock coming into the warehouse. A storage bin or storage location is defined by a number of constituents that make up a storage combination. Commonly, a storage combination includes a storage type, a storage section, and a bin type. A “storage type” is a physical or logical division of a complex warehouse distinguished by the warehouse procedures used or its organizational form or function. A “storage section” is a logical and physical division of a storage type. “Bin type” identifies the dimensions and characteristics of a bin, where a bin is the smallest unit of separable storage space in a warehouse. Storage bins with same dimensions and characteristics may be grouped into one bin type. Typically, to identify a destination bin, the availability of an optimal combination is first checked. However, if no optimal combination is available, the system iterates other combinations until an available storage location is found. Typically, this iteration occurs by iterating bin types then storage sections then storage types. With three constituents (A, B & C), the number of alternatives is A×B×C. The regular necessity to reiterate deeper into the possible alternatives and the large volume of transactions occurring in complex warehouses, results in a significant processing burden to identify a storage bin. Moreover, in the event that an optimal bin is not available, such systems fail to reliably put away stock into the best available bin as opposed to the first bin found to be available.